The King of South Beach

matt · 9th July, 2010 · 10:34am

LeBron James announced last night in his hour long special titled “The Decision”, that he will be taking his talents to South Beach to play with superstars Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh of the Miami Heat. James acknowledged the fact that the free agency period was an “emotional time” for him and that he changed his mind several times throughout the process. James was quoted as saying “When I woke up this morning I knew it was the right decision.” Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh were reportedly very happy with James decision and for good reason. Depending on who Heat President Pat Riley surrounds his superstar trio with, they will most likely be strong favorites to win lets say the next…..five NBA Championships. No one truly knows how this team will mesh and play together but Riley is in the process of assembling a team unlike any in NBA history. We have seen great teams in the past, most notably the 96 Bulls with their record breaking 72 win season, but even they would struggle to compare to this Heat team on paper. Wade and James are easily two of the best three players in the league and with the addition of Bosh you have an NBA team that looks more like an All-Star or U.S. Olympic squad.

The Miami Heat were obviously the big winners of this summers extraordinary free agency period, resigning Wade and adding Bosh and James. With the three most coveted free agents all signed sealed and delivered to Miami, many teams are scrambling to fill the space they had left open for one of the three. However, no team or city could possibly be as disappointed and downright angry as Cleveland. Cavalier’s owner Dan Gilbert has already issued a response, calling James their “former-hero” and “narcissistic” in a letter to the people of Cleveland. Fans were also seen burning James Cavs jersey in the streets. In my opinion James handling of his “Decision” was disrespectful to the people of Cleveland as well as the other teams that had put so much effort into signing him. I don’t think he handled it as well as he could have but his decision to leave was his to make and his alone. If he did not believe that he could win a championship in Cleveland then he has the right to do everything in his power to make sure the king gets a ring. One thing is certain; the landscape of the NBA has dramatically shifted with James decision and if he didn’t before, he will now feel the “heat” to win his first championship.